CN100580264C - Ball chain - Google Patents

Abstract

A ball chain is composed of a row of a plurality of balls arranged in tandem and an axially extending spacing chain; the spacer chain provides a plurality of pockets arranged one behind the other in which the balls are located. The spacing chain comprises a plurality of spacing blocks, and the spacing blocks are positioned between the balls to space the balls in pairs; at least two axially extending elongated elastic bands and a transversely extending elastic connecting strip. The two ends of the elastic connecting strip are connected with the elastic belt, and the middle of the elastic connecting strip is elastically connected with the spacing block; the elastic connecting strip is kept to have the maximum length and enough elasticity, and can be more freely bent forwards, backwards, leftwards and rightwards, and the spacing block can also rotate and incline in various directions relative to the elastic connecting strip through the elastic connection. This ball chain thus has sufficient freedom to run smoothly with little resistance in a three-dimensional change of direction circulation path.

Description

ball chain

technical field

The present invention is a ball chain design, which is used in linear motion mechanisms such as ball screws, linear slide rails, sliding sleeves, etc.; it is composed of a row of multiple balls arranged in front and back and an axially extending spacer chain; The balls are separated by two pairs and kept in the spacer chain; the ball chain can run smoothly along the curved and extended track in three-dimensional space with low noise and low resistance.

Background technique

In a motion mechanism, there is a moving part and a guiding part; at least one row of tracks on the moving part and the guiding part are aligned with each other, and on each paired track there is a row of multiple balls rolling and transmitting the load; the movement Components and provide return channels and return channels connected with the track to form a circulation channel; the ball circulates in the circulation channel, so that the moving parts can run on the guide without limit travel. In order to prevent the balls from colliding with each other to reduce wear and noise, in U.S. Patent No. 5,927,858, a design of spacer blocks is provided between the balls; due to the gap between the spacer blocks and the balls, the spacer blocks are easy to tilt and deflect. shift, and interfere with the cyclic channel causing smooth operation.

In U.S. Patent No. 5947605, No. 6155718, etc. disclose the design of the ball connecting chain, the ball connecting chain has two axially arranged slender strips and the spacer blocks are connected in an axially arranged manner, and the balls are placed between the spacer blocks and are Keep it, because the ball connecting chain is in the shape of a flat strip, with the flexibility of the flat strip, the ball connecting chain can be perpendicular to the plane formed by the two slender strips, that is, the flat direction (hereinafter referred to as the ball connecting chain surface) ) bends without hindrance, but has greater rigidity in the vertical direction, and resistance will be generated when bending in this direction. Therefore, this design is only suitable for the circulation channel completely located on the plane of the vertical ball link chain surface, and the ball link chain runs curvedly in two-dimensional space. When the circulation channel is not completely on this plane, the ball link chain must be bent in a direction inclined to the ball link link surface, and must overcome the resistance to bending in the vertical direction. This design will therefore produce resistance and run smoothly.

In order to overcome the linear motion mechanism when the circulation channel is not on the vertical plane of the ball chain, such as the design of the ball screw and some linear slide rails, in the design disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,593,064, a ball joint is provided, including a 10% The balls of the row are arranged at predetermined intervals, and a connecting belt is composed of four elongated sub-belts along the round surface of the balls. These are connected to each other between the balls in the elongated sub-belts. Down into a reduced shape. Since the ball is completely retained by the four sub-belts, and it is narrowed at the joint, the ball joint can be bent and twisted more freely. Therefore, this design provides more bending for the ball joint. degrees of freedom, so that it can run smoothly on the linear motion mechanism when the circulating channel is not on the vertical plane of the ball chain. The four elongated sub-belts are in a circular shape, and only the top part can be located in the guide groove provided by the circulation channel; since the circulation channel is a closed loop, it is composed of at least two or more parts, so There is a joint, and the joint will produce a misalignment deviation. Therefore, every time the ball enters and exits the joint, the four elongated sub-belts of the ball connecting strip must be re-aligned with the guide groove provided by the circulating channel, which is easy to cause jamming. On the other hand, in order to maintain its bendability and twistability, the smaller the joint as the function of the spacer ball, the better. Therefore, the contact area between the joint and the ball is reduced and the wear is increased, which is not conducive to The life of the ball connecting strip; or the longer the joint, the better, which will increase the distance between the balls and reduce the load capacity.

Similarly, in the design disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 6,247,846B1, a rolling element retaining spacer is provided, which includes a retaining portion, which forms an arc at both ends and is located between the two rolling elements; and a curved portion, Connects a pair of retaining parts in which the rolling elements are located. Through the bending of the curved part, the connected pair of holding parts can be inclined to each other; on the other hand, the rolling elements keep the spacers independent of each other, so the angle between them can be adjusted when the rolling elements turn to achieve the rolling element Maintain the degrees of freedom required for spacer blocks to run smoothly on linear motion mechanisms where the endless channel is not located in the vertical plane of the ball link chain. Since each rolling element retaining spacer runs independently in the circulating channel, each rolling element retaining spacer must re-align the guide groove provided by the circulating channel when it enters and exits the joint, thus easily causing jamming.

Contents of the invention

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a ball chain design with sufficient bending and tilting degrees of freedom, which can be used in the linear motion mechanism when the circulation channel is inclined to the vertical plane of the ball chain, such as the design of ball screws and some linear slide rails, Low noise, low drag and smooth running. According to the above-mentioned purpose, the design of the present invention provides a ball chain, the ball chain is composed of a row of balls arranged in front and back, and an axially extending spacer chain; the spacer chain provides a plurality of concave holes arranged in front and back, and the balls is located in it. The spacer chain includes a plurality of spacer blocks, the spacer blocks are located between the balls and separate the balls in pairs to avoid collisions; two axially extending slender elastic belts and a transversely extending elastic connecting strip, the two ends of the elastic connecting strip are connected The elastic belt is elastically connected with the spacer in the middle; the elastic connecting strip can be extended laterally through the elastic connection, so that it can have the maximum length and sufficient elasticity, and can bend forward, backward, left, and right more freely. The connecting point is rotated and tilted in all directions. At the same time, the spacer block can be designed to have a larger contact surface with the ball to reduce the pressure on the joint with the ball. In addition, the spacer block has a groove that is large enough to allow flexibility. The tie bars do not interfere with the desired bend.

There is at least one guide groove in the circulation channel, and the axially extending slender elastic belt of the ball chain is located in the groove, and the groove guides the ball chain, which is formed parallel to the guide groove in the circulation channel and run along the circulation channel; when the circulation channel bends, the vertical plane of the guide surface is on the same plane, then the slender elastic belt only needs to bend and run along the guide surface in two-dimensional space , with the elasticity of the slender elastic band, the ball chain can be easily bent to achieve low resistance and smooth operation in the circular track.

When the circular channel is bent, the vertical plane of the guide surface is not on the same plane, but there is displacement and inclination, such as the design of ball screw and some linear slide rails, when the ball chain runs in this circular channel, it must also follow the The circular channel bends and displaces or inclines at the same time, and bends and runs in three-dimensional space; therefore, the elastic band and the connecting strip must be flexed and displaced or inclined accordingly, and the spacer must still maintain the corresponding position with the balls. Position and direction, so that the contact surface between the spacer and the ball can be kept aligned with the ball; due to the different correspondence between the elastic belt, the connecting strip and the spacer, it must be possible to change the relative position during operation. Due to the elasticity of the elastic belt and the connecting strip itself and the elastic connection with the spacer, the position between the three can be elastically deformed under low resistance to achieve the required phase in the bending operation in three-dimensional space. Corresponding bending and freedom of displacement or inclination; therefore, the spacer blocks can be located between the balls, running with and aligned with the balls, while the elongated elastic bands are located in the guide grooves provided by the circulation channel to maintain The smooth operation of the ball chain along the groove guide surface in the endless channel is realized.

Description of drawings

Figure 1 is a front sectional view of a linear slide rail design in which the return channel in the circulation channel is not on the vertical plane T1 of the ball spacer chain in the load zone;

Fig. 2 is the A-A sectional view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 a is the front view of the spacer chain design disclosed in the present invention in Fig. 1 when the return channel, the turnaround road and the load zone channel; Fig. 3 b is a G-G direction view of Fig. 3 a;

Fig. 4a is the top view of the spacer chain design disclosed in the present invention in Fig. 1 when the return channel, the turnaround road and the load zone channel; Fig. 4b is a view in the direction of D-D of Fig. 4a; Fig. 4c is a view in the direction of E-E of Fig. 4a;

Fig. 5 is a front view of the first embodiment of the spacer chain design disclosed by the present invention, b left side view, c F-F sectional view, d top view, e K-K sectional view, f oblique view;

Fig. 6 is a front view of the second embodiment of the spacer chain design disclosed by the present invention, bL-L sectional view, c detailed enlarged view N, d M-M sectional view, e oblique view;

Fig. 7 is a front view of the third embodiment of the spacer chain design disclosed by the present invention, b left side view, c detailed enlarged view R, d P-P sectional view, e Q-Q sectional view, f oblique view;

8 is a front view of the fourth embodiment of the spacer chain design disclosed by the present invention, b left side view, c U-U sectional view, d V-V sectional view, e H-H sectional view, f oblique view;

Figure 9 is the design of the ball spacer chain disclosed by the present invention applied to the design of the ball screw, a schematic diagram of the operation of the ball chain in the ball screw, b W-W sectional view, e O detailed enlarged view, d second embodiment of the spacer chain design front view.

【Description of figure number】

Moving part 01, 110, guide part 02, 120, ball chain 03, 130, track 11, 21, 111, 121, return channel 12, turning track 13, circulation channel 15, guide groove 16, track 21, interval chains 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, balls 31, 41, 51, 61, 71, spacers 32, spacers 42a, 42b, 52a, 52a, 62a, 62b, 72a, 72b, elastic bands 33, 43, 53, 63, 73, elastic connecting strips 34, 44, 54, 64, 74, ball contact surfaces 35, 45, 55, 65, letting groove 56, arc-shaped elastic connecting strips 46, connecting blocks 48, combining strips 68, to accommodate balls The space 49 separates the chain, and the independent spacer petals 142a, 142b at both ends.

Detailed ways

A motion mechanism is designed as a linear slide rail as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2; it includes a moving part 01, a guide part 02, and multiple rows of ball chains 03; multiple rows of axially extending tracks 11 are provided on the moving part, Adjacent to the track 11, there is a return channel 12 extending approximately in the axial direction. The inlet and outlet at both ends of the track 11 and the return channel 12 are connected by a turning channel 13; the guide member 02 also provides a track 11 corresponding to the moving part. The track 21 forms a load area channel 14; the return channel 12, the return channel 13 and the load area channel 14 form a circulation channel 15; the ball chain 03 is composed of a row of multiple balls 31 arranged in front and behind and an axially extending spacer chain 30, the spacer chain 30 provides a plurality of recesses arranged one after the other, and the balls 31 are located therein and are spaced apart and held by two pairs. The ball chain 03 circulates in the circulation channel 15, the balls 31 bear the load in the load zone channel 14 and roll in the rails 11, 21, rotate in the return channel 13 and flow back in the return channel 12 to form a cycle movement, movement The part 01 can therefore also run on the guide part 02 along the track 21 for an infinite distance. As shown in Figure 1, there is a guide groove 16 in the circulation channel 15. The guide groove 16 forms a guide surface H1 in the load zone channel, and forms H2 in the return channel 12. In order to make the return channel 12 have the best In the design position, the return channel 12 does not have to be on the vertical surface T1 of the guide surface H1, but the plane C1 formed by the center point of the ball 31 in the return channel 12 and the center point of the ball 31 in the track 11, 12 and the guide surface The vertical plane T1 forms an angle Φ1, so the vertical plane T1 of the guide surface of the channel in the load zone and the vertical plane T3 of the guide surface of the return channel produce a displacement Δ. As shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, the ball chain 03 transfers from the load channel area 11, 12 to the return channel 12 through the turnaround 13 in front view, top view and views in various directions. The ball chain spacer chain 30 includes a plurality of spacer blocks 32, the spacer blocks 32 are located between the balls 31, the spacer blocks and the ball contact surface 35 are kept aligned with the balls 31; the axially elongated elastic band 33 and the laterally extended elastic Link bar 34. The elastic belt 33 is located in the circulation channel guide groove 16, and runs along the guide groove 16 as shown in Figure 1, so the elastic belt 33 and the elastic connecting strip 34 are on the same plane as the circulation channel groove guide surface H; the direction The X-axis shown in the view G-G is the direction running along the spacer chain 30, the Y-axis is the direction perpendicular to the X-axis on the guide surface H of the spacer chain, the Z-axis is the direction perpendicular to the spacer chain guide surface H, and the XYZ axes are aligned with the spacer chain guide surface H. The guide surface H bends along with the guide groove 16 of the circulation channel; when the ball chain spacer chain 30 is in the load channel area 14 and the return channel 12, the elastic band 33 and the elastic connecting strip 34 are perpendicular to each other, and the spacer block 32 and the elastic The connecting strips 34 are parallel to each other; when the ball chain spacer chain 30 enters the turning track 13, the elastic band 33 and the elastic connecting strip 34 rotate mutually on the Z axis to form an angle Φ3 as shown in Figure 3, while the spacer block 32 and the elastic connecting strip 34. On the Z axis, rotate and tilt each other to form an angle Φ4, as shown in Figure 4 direction view E-E, and on the Y axis, rotate and tilt each other to form an angle Φ5, as shown in Figure 4, and rotate and tilt each other on the X axis to form an angle Φ6, as shown in the direction view As shown in D-D; since the elastic belt 33 and the ball row 31 run in parallel in the circulation channel 15, when the elastic connecting strip 34 is parallel to each other on the guide surface of the spacer chain, the angle Φ3 and the center point of the return channel ball and the load shown in Fig. 1 The plane C1 formed by the ball center point of the zone channel is the same as the angle Φ1 formed by the vertical plane T1 of the guide surface, and because the spacer block is aligned with the ball row 31, it is also the same as the angle Φ4; therefore, when the load zone is shown in Figure 1 The greater the displacement Δ between the vertical surface T1 of the channel guide surface and the vertical surface T3 of the return channel guide surface, the greater the degree of freedom required for the ball chain spacer chain 30 to tilt at the angles of Φ3 and Φ4.

In order to make the ball chain spacer chain 30 enter the turning track 13 to easily produce the above-mentioned deformation and keep low resistance to run smoothly, as shown in Figure 5, it is the first embodiment of the present invention; a ball chain spacer chain 30 includes shaft The elongated elastic band 33 extending to the direction and including the elastic connecting strip 34 extending laterally, a plurality of spacer blocks 32 arranged in front and back, the spacer blocks 32 are located between the balls 31, and the surface 35 adjacent to the balls 31 arranged in front and back is an arc surface, the diameter of the arc surface approximates the diameter of the ball; wherein the joint 36 of the spacer block 32 and the elastic connecting bar 34 is smaller than the diameter of the spacer block, and the distance between the spacer block 32 and the elastic connecting bar 34 is reduced due to the reduction of the joint 36 The rigidity also increases the elasticity, so that the spacer block 32 and the elastic connecting bar 34 can be elastically deformed with low resistance to achieve the mutual rotation and inclination of an angle Φ4 on the Z axis as shown in Figure 3, and the mutual rotation and inclination of an angle on the Y axis to form an angle Φ5 and rotate on the X-axis to form an angle Φ6; at the same time, the reduction of the joint 36 increases the length and elasticity of the elastic connecting strip 34. On the other hand, the elongated elastic band 33 and the laterally extending elastic connecting strip 34 The position 36 is similar to the size of the cross-sectional area of the elastic band 33, so that the elastic band 33 and the elastic connecting bar 34 can be elastically deformed with low resistance to achieve an angle of Φ3 on the Z axis, and the ball chain spacer chain 30 can be lowered more easily. Run along the guide surface formed by the guide groove in the circulation channel with resistance; the size of the joint is determined by the elasticity required by the size of the inclination angle Φ3.

Figure 6 shows the second embodiment of the present invention, a ball chain spacer chain 40 includes an axially extending elongated elastic band 43, a laterally extending elastic connecting bar 44 and a plurality of spacer blocks 42a, 42b, spacer blocks 42a, 42b are located between the balls 41; wherein the elastic joint 46 between the spacers 42a, 42b and the elastic connecting strip 44 is formed by an elastic horizontal bar 47, and the elastic horizontal bar 47 passes through the elastic band 43 and the elastic connecting bar 44. Plane H, the two ends are connected to the spacer blocks 42a, 42b which are divided into two independent pieces by the plane H, and the middle is connected to the elastic connecting strip 44; the surface 45 adjacent to the two independent spacer blocks and the front and rear balls 41 is an arc surface, and its diameter is Approximate the diameter of the ball, the flexibility of the elastic horizontal bar 47 increases the elastic deformation capacity between the spacers 42a, 42b and the elastic connecting bar 44, and at the same time reduces the ball chain spacer chain 40 entering the turning track 13 as shown in Figure 3 Generated resistance to achieve smooth operation. The outer end surfaces of the spacer blocks 142a and 142b at both ends of the ball chain spacer chain 40 are respectively connected by a connecting block 48 to the two independent spacer blocks 142a and 142b. When all the spaces 49 are filled with balls 41, all two independent spacers 42a, 42b will be limited by the balls 41 and cannot be opened arbitrarily, thus avoiding interference with the circulation channel 15. The elastic connecting strips connected with the two ends of the axially elongated elastic band 43 are arc-shaped 46 and retracted backwards, so that the connecting block 48 becomes a guide block at the two ends of the ball chain spacer chain 40 .

Figure 7 shows a third embodiment of the present invention, a ball chain spacer chain 50 includes an axially extending elongated elastic band 53, a laterally extending elastic connecting bar 54 and a plurality of spacer blocks 52a, 52b, spacer blocks 52a, 52b are located between the balls 51, and are divided into front and rear independent spacers 52a, 52b by the elastic connecting strip 54 and the plane S formed by the elastic belt 53 and the elastic connecting strip 54. The front independent spacer Adjacent to the ball 51 in the front, the independent spacer block in the back is adjacent to the ball 51 in the back, the adjacent surface 45 is a circular arc surface, and its diameter approximates the diameter of the ball. The connection is made of an elastic horizontal bar 57. The elastic horizontal bar 57 passes through the plane H formed by the elastic band 53 and the elastic connecting bar 54. Each of the two ends is connected with one end of the two independent spacers 52a, 52b, and the middle is connected with the elastic The bar 54 is connected, and there is enough groove 56 between the two independent spacers 52a, 52b and the elastic connecting bar 54, so that the spacer blocks 52a, 52b will not interfere with the elastic connecting bar 54 when they are tilted; The flexibility further increases the elastic deformation capacity between the spacer blocks 52a, 52b and the elastic connecting bar 54, and at the same time reduces the resistance generated by the ball chain spacer chain 50 entering the turning track 13 as shown in FIG. 3 to achieve smooth operation.

Figure 8 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention, a ball chain spacer chain 60 includes an axially extending elongated elastic band 63, a laterally extending elastic connecting bar 64 and a plurality of spacer blocks 62a, 62b, spacer blocks 62a, 62b are located between the balls 61; wherein the elastic connection between the spacers 62a, 62b and the elastic connecting bar 64 is formed by an elastic horizontal bar 67, and the elastic horizontal bar 67 passes through the plane formed by the elastic belt 63 and the elastic connecting bar 64 H, the two ends are connected to the spacer blocks 62a, 62b which are divided into two independent pieces by the plane H, and the elastic connecting strip 64 is connected in the middle; the surface 65 adjacent to the front and rear balls 61 of the two independent spacer blocks 62a, 62b is an arc surface Its diameter approximates the diameter of a ball, wherein in order to prevent the spacers 62a, 62b from opening outwards and causing the outer edge to be larger than the diameter of the ball 61 and interfere with the circulation channel 15, two independent spacers 62a, 62b are combined by at least one combination strip 68. One body; by the flexibility of the elastic horizontal bar 67, the elastic deformation capacity between the spacer blocks 62a, 62b and the elastic connecting bar 64 is increased, and at the same time, the generation of the ball chain spacer chain 60 entering the turning track 13 as shown in Figure 3 is reduced Resistance to achieve smooth operation.

A motion mechanism is designed as a ball screw as shown in Figure 9; it includes an annular moving part 110, a round rod-shaped guide part 120 and at least one row of ball chains 130; the moving part provides at least one row of helical The axially extending track 111 is adjacent to the track 111. The track 111 corresponding to the moving part on the guide 120 also provides a helical track 121 on the outer circle of the rod to form a load zone channel 140 and axially in a helical manner. Extension; the ball chain 130 is composed of a plurality of balls 71 arranged in front and back and an axially extending spacer chain 70, which is formed by the second embodiment of the present invention, and the spacer chain 70 provides a plurality of concave holes arranged in front and back, and The balls 71 are located therein and are spaced and held two by two. When the moving part 110 rotates, the moving part 110 can move axially on the guiding part 120 through the ball chain 130 running along the helical track 121 of the guiding part. The ball chain spacer chain 70 is approximately in a straight line in the free state, and is helical when running in the load zone channel 140, which is the same as in a linear slide rail mechanism where the vertical planes of the guide surfaces are not on the same plane when the circulating channel bends In the design of the ball chain in the turning channel area, as shown in Figure 3, the axially extending slender elastic band 73 is located between the annular inner hole of the moving part 110 and the round bar-shaped outer circle of the guiding part 120 and is guided Lead, the spacer block 72 then keeps being aligned with the ball 71 so it is parallel to the elastic band 73, the elastic connecting strip 74 and the elastic band 73, and the spacer block 72 are therefore inclined to each other at an angle Φ3, Φ4; with the increase or decrease of the pitch, the angle Φ3, Φ4 will also increase or decrease accordingly. As shown in Figure 6, the second embodiment of the present invention increases the elastic deformation capacity between the spacer block 72 and the elastic connecting bar 74 through the flexibility of the elastic horizontal bar 77, so that it can be inclined to each other at an angle Φ4 with low resistance. On the other hand, the size of the joint 76 is much smaller than the diameter of the spacer block, so the length of the elastic joint bar 74 has been increased and the elastic band 73 and the elastic joint bar 74 joints are similar to the size of the elastic band 73 cross-sectional area, the elastic band 73 and the elastic band The connecting strips 74 can thus be tilted at an angle Φ3 with low resistance. Therefore, the design of the spacer chain 70 in the second embodiment of the present invention can run smoothly with low resistance in the design of the kinematic mechanism of the ball screw.

Claims (5)

1. A ball chain, mainly comprising a row of multiple balls arranged in front and back and an axially extending spacer chain, wherein the spacer chain includes two axially extending elastic belts, and a plurality of transversely extending elastic connecting strips and elastic The belt is connected, and the two elastic connecting strips are defined to form axially arranged recesses, and the balls are arranged between the recesses; and a plurality of spacer blocks are located between the balls and separate the balls two by two, wherein the spacer blocks It forms a connection with the elastic connecting strip; the joint is smaller than the diameter of the spacer block, wherein the spacer block and the elastic connecting strip extend from the joint to form a horizontal bar extending in two directions of the plane, and the two ends of the horizontal bar Each is connected to an independent spacer block, and the connection between the spacer block and the elastic link bar is indirectly formed by connecting the horizontal bar with the elastic link bar. 2. The ball chain as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the two ends of the bar is connected to independent spacers, and the opposite surfaces of the two spacers are parallel to the plane formed by the two spacer chains. 3. The ball chain according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the spacer adjacent to the balls is an arc surface. 4. The ball chain of claim 1, wherein the spacer has a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of the balls. 5. The ball chain as claimed in claim 1, wherein the size of the connection point between the laterally extending elastic connecting strip and the elastic belt is similar to the cross-sectional area of the elastic belt.

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